


things i can't change

by cjmasim



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s06e19 Broken Glass, Gen, M/M, Spoilers up to 6x19, Theo is Liam's anchor, implied thiam, not that Liam realizes it yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 18:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12174438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmasim/pseuds/cjmasim
Summary: When Dr. Geyer hears about werewolves from one of his coworkers and unofficially joins the hunters, Liam is forced to finally tell his stepfather the truth.





	things i can't change

The door to the break room closed, and Dr. Geyer let out a sigh. It had been a long shift already, and as the sun went down, there would only be more patients being rushed into the emergency room and demanding his attention; it was good to get a break, however short. 

“Long day?” Dr. James, one of his coworkers, asked. 

Dr. Geyer merely looked at him and nodded, then proceeded to make himself a cup of coffee.

“You’ve got a son, right?” Dr. James asked.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Dr. Geyer replied.

“You might want to sit down; it’s a long story.” Dr. Geyer gave him a curious look, but did as he suggested.

“I’m listening.”

-

“Wait, wait,” Dr. Geyer laughed in disbelief. “You’re telling me that there are _werewolves_ in Beacon Hills? And they just have magical healing powers?”

“Don’t pretend you’ve never suspected it,” Dr. James said seriously. “We’ve been cataloguing all the unexplainable cases that have come through this hospital, and I know you’ve dealt with more than a few yourself. Did you really think that Scott McCall just miraculously came back to life after being dead for forty-five minutes? And how, exactly, do you suspect that Corey Bryant survived that scorpion sting? Oh, and don’t forget about what happened to Sheriff Stilinski last year. Not to mention the dozens and dozens of times that patients have come in, bleeding, having been shot or stabbed in a potentially fatal area, only to walk out an hour later, the wound magically healed.”

“Okay, fine, you’re right; of course I’ve suspected that something is… amiss. But _werewolves_?”

“Do you have a better explanation?” Dr. Geyer didn’t respond, and Dr. James continued. “Dr. Geyer, I understand your hesitation, but these monsters killed my only son. He never provoked them; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the Beast-“ He stopped for a moment, evening out his breathing. “Sorry.” In a voice almost too low to be heard, he continued. “I saw his body. He was-“ Dr. James took a shaky breath. “He was torn to shreds.”

The room was silent for a moment before Dr. Geyer found the courage to speak. “I’m sorry.”

Dr. James cleared his throat, speaking more clearly now. “The werewolves, and all the other creatures, they don’t care about us. They’ll fight their battles, and they’ll save each other, and sometimes, they’ll save us, if it’s convenient for them, but when they don’t? They don’t think twice about us. We’re not like them; we don’t matter. None of them ever apologized for not saving my son. They probably don’t even know who he was because they just don’t _care_. That’s why I’m telling you this. You don’t want the same thing to happen to your son, do you?”

“No, of course not.” Dr. Geyer thought of Liam, of how he was strong, but young, far too young to face horrors that he had only ever seen in movies, of how he always stayed out late at night with his friends, of how he had always liked to walk in the woods. “I’ll do whatever I can to protect him.”

“Then you’ll want to come to the meeting tonight.”

-

The next day, Dr. Geyer returned from work earlier than usual. As Liam ran down the stairs, the front door closed, bringing him face to face with his stepfather. 

“Oh, uh, hi, Dad. I was just leaving.”

“Seems like you always are. Where are you going?”

Liam hesitated for a moment before replying. “The movies, with Mason.”

Dr. Geyer raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that made it clear that he knew Liam was lying, but wasn’t going to say anything about it. “Why don’t you just wait? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Can’t it wait? I don’t want to keep Mason waiting!”

“No, it can’t wait. It won’t kill you to miss the previews.” Liam sighed, knowing he had lost. “Come on, Liam, let’s sit down.” They both sat on the couch.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Dr. Geyer gave him a weak smile before beginning. “Last night, one of my co-workers told me about some rather troubling news. Now, I don’t want to scare you,” Liam raised an eyebrow, “but I really think you need to know. Okay, do you remember how I’ve told you about some of the medical impossibilities that I’ve seen at the hospital?”

“Uh… yeah,” Liam said hesitantly.

“It turns out that they’re all connected to the biggest secret in this town.” Liam felt his body tense. “Werewolves.” His heart stopped for a second. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but it does explain everything weird that’s happened in this town. They have healing powers, which explains the medical impossibilities. And of course, they’re vicious and bloodthirsty, my co-worker’s son…” Liam clenched his fists and shut his eyes, not hearing a word his stepfather was saying. All he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart as his body tried to shift. He tried to keep his anger at bay, tried to lessen the fear that had caused it; he couldn’t shift in front of him. He thought of the first thing other than this conversation that came to mind: Theo, that stupid smirk he always wore when they argued, that stubborn desire to save Liam over and over again, that stupid hair, that – 

“Liam? Liam, are you alright?” Liam’s eyes shot open as he realized that Dr. Geyer had been calling his name for a while.

“I’m fine. I’m fine,” he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it was the truth. His heart was still beating faster than normal, but not fast enough to warrant a shift. 

“Liam, it’s okay. I know it’s scary, but I’ll make sure you’re safe, alright? I went to this meeting last night with some werewolf hunters, and they gave me a gun,” Liam clenched his fists harder, his heart plummeting, feeling his control slipping, “and I don’t really want to use it, but if you’re in danger, I will – oh my God, Liam, what happened?”

The temporary confusion allowed Liam to regain his control, and he unclenched his fists only to see that his hands were bleeding. His claws must have come out without him even noticing, having been too focused on trying not to shift. He got up, running toward the bathroom, but Dr. Geyer followed him. 

“Liam, what is it?”

Liam turned the sink on, washing the blood from his hands, trying to will himself not to heal, but seeing the skin mending itself together already. His mind was still scrambled from the shock of his stepfather having apparently joined the hunters, and he was having trouble thinking of an explanation for why his hands were bleeding when there clearly weren’t any cuts. It wasn’t as if his human self had sharp enough fingernails to cause any bleeding.

“Let me help,” Dr. Geyer said, taking Liam’s hand into his own before Liam could do anything. His grip loosened as he saw the clean palms, and Liam watched as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Dr. Geyer opened his mouth, looking at his face now, and Liam turned away. “What is this?” he asked softly, voice wavering slightly.

It was silent for a moment, Liam trying desperately to come up with an excuse, before giving up and whispering, “I think you know.”

Dr. Geyer’s eyes widened, and he let go of Liam’s hand. “You’re… you’re one of them.” 

Liam summoned all the courage he could find in himself and nodded. “Since freshman year. When I injured my ankle in lacrosse tryouts and magically healed the next day. I – I would’ve died if it weren’t for Scott.”

“Scott McCall?”

“Yeah. I was in the hospital when it happened. I heard a scream, so I went to check it out, and this guy – he was a wendigo – brought me up to the roof. Scott followed us up there, but the other guy threw me over the edge, and I could barely keep my hold on the edge of the roof, and Scott tried to catch me but the other guy pinned his arms back, and he had to – he had to bite me. I was slipping; I would’ve died if he hadn’t done it. And yeah, I was terrified in the beginning, just like you are – I know, because I can sense emotions – but it’s not so bad. I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling myself, and really, everyone else in the pack is better at it than I am, so you really don’t need to fear them. If anyone, fear me. I just-“

“Liam,” Dr. Geyer interrupted. “You’re my family. I could never fear you. I’m scared for you, yeah, but I’m not scared of you.” He stepped forward and slowly, silently asking permission, he hugged Liam, who hugged back hesitantly, shock clear on his face. “You’re my son.” 

“But you were just – earlier, you were saying that we’re all vicious and bloodthirsty; what changed?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think. Last night, Dr. James and Ms. Monroe were preaching about how evil werewolves are, and how they and their loved ones have been attacked by them, and I just wanted to protect you and your mom from them, but now, I don’t know what to think. Dr. James mentioned you, but if you’re friends with Scott McCall, surely he and the others know that you’re a – a werewolf.”

“Oh, they definitely know,” Liam said, thinking of the time he had shifted in front of a crowd of civilians. “Sounds like they’ll do whatever it takes to manipulate people into joining them. But the truth is that the ones they’re targeting – my pack – we aren’t the ones they should be targeting. And they’ve killed innocent teenagers. You remember Brett?”

“That jerk lacrosse captain from Devenford?”

Liam nodded. “He wasn’t that bad, but anyway, he was also a werewolf. They shot at and poisoned him, then led him and his sister straight into a trap, and they-“ Liam shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I watched them die.” He heard his stepfather’s heart skip a beat. “I watched my friends die because of these people. Neither of them ever hurt anyone.” 

“Liam, I’m so sorry.”

Liam nodded, and when he spoke again, his voice was louder, clearer. “The vast majority of us are just trying to live our lives and stop the real evils from hurting people. Killing all the werewolves isn’t going to solve any problems; the hunters are just afraid of us. I get that you were trying to protect me, and I’m thankful, but killing werewolves is doing the opposite of protecting me.”

They were both quiet for a moment, Dr. Geyer taking in what Liam had said before replying at last. “Liam, I’m so sorry that I ever listened to them. I don’t know what I can do to help you, but if there’s anything, please just tell me. I said just yesterday that I’d do anything I could to protect you, and as much as my understanding of you has shifted, that’s still the truth.”

Liam breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s okay. You don’t have to protect me; just don’t tell anyone you know about me. And stay away from the action; I don’t want to lose you too.” 

Dr. Geyer agreed, then pulled Liam in for another hug. “You know,” he said as they broke apart, cracking a grin, “In a way, I’m glad that you’re a werewolf. It’s a much better explanation for you having been so distant throughout high school than drugs or partying.”

Liam groaned, though he was smiling. “Dad!”

Dr. Geyer chuckled, then fell back to a serious expression. “Speaking of avoidant teenagers, where were you actually going before I stopped you? I know it wasn’t the movies.”

“Do I really have to tell you everything now?” Dr. Geyer gave him a look. “Okay, fine. I was going to the school to meet up with Nolan – he’s with the hunters, and I definitely don’t trust him, but he texted me saying he has something that can help me. I can’t just not check it out.”

“You can’t go alone, Liam. It isn’t safe.”

“He’s not much of a threat; I’ll be fine. Anyway, I’ve kept him waiting long enough. I need to go, but thank you for hearing me out and being so accepting. Really.” Liam smiled, then started walking back toward the front door.

“Liam!” He stopped, turning around. “I won’t tell you not to go, because you’ve been dealing with this kind of stuff far longer than I’ve even known about it. Just bring someone with you. You have a pack, right?”

“Yeah, but they’re all busy. Besides, I agreed to come alone.”

“You don’t know anyone else who could help? Someone could just hide outside; you all have enhanced hearing, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“There has to be someone.”

Liam sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask Theo to come with me.” At Dr. Geyer’s silent question, he added “He’s a chimera, but not part of the pack, and he’s helped me a few times when I’ve almost lost control.”

“Sounds like a good friend,” Dr. Geyer replied.

Blushing, Liam agreed. “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

Noticing the blush, Dr. Geyer asked, “You sure he’s just a friend?” 

“Dad!” Liam whined. “I’m leaving now!”

Dr. Geyer chuckled, watching him run out of the house, still blushing. Hoping that he could hear him from outside, he said softly, “I’m proud of you, Liam.”

**Author's Note:**

> Theo is 100% Liam's anchor, fight me. And Dr. Geyer knows it. Also, since the show doesn't actually tell us where the hell Theo went after he and Mason left the tunnels, I figured he could be helping out his boy from the shadows. I'm sure this will no longer be canon-compliant after the finale, but oh well ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
